A man has been sentenced to life in prison in the 2019 slaying of an Oxford woman.
Ronnie James Brown, 63 was sentenced this week in Sumter County Court for the murder of 68-year-old Jenetta Floyd. Last week, jurors delivered their verdict, finding Brown guilty of second-degree murder. Brown was also adjudicated guilty on additional charges in the case, including grand theft and battery.
On Sept. 14, 2019, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call for service in reference to an unresponsive female at a residence off County Road 223 in Oxford. Upon arrival, deputies found Floyd with apparent homicidal wounds. Authorities observed a shattered lamp lying next to her body. Floyd was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials took statements from neighbors, along with the Brown, who were at the home when Floyd’s body was found. During their investigation, officials noticed that Brown’s initial statement and subsequent statements to law enforcement were constantly changing. At first, Brown stated Floyd had given him a ride earlier that day, and after running some errands in her vehicle, he returned to mow his lawn. When she didn’t come out to talk with him as usual, he entered the residence through an open sliding door in the back of the home, where he found the victim unresponsive inside.
Detectives noticed the lawn at Brown’s home did not appear to be recently mowed as originally indicated. Upon further questioning, Brown continued to give inconsistent accounts with his original statement to law enforcement. Officials subsequently collected the clothing and shoes worn by Brown. DNA evidence was then compared from the victim and the crime scene. Three particularly incriminating pieces of evidence were Brown’s fingerprint on the lamp used during the attack on the victim, his DNA on the victim, and the victim’s DNA on his person – including Floyd’s blood on his shoelaces…